Spotlight on the DAG Board – Alex Walmsley

The Devon Association of Governance (DAG) Board meets regularly throughout the year to manage the affairs of DAG and support governing boards to further the interests of children in their schools and the standard of their education.

Alex is a chair of Trustees at The First Federation Trust, a multi academy trust comprising 29 primary schools and has specific director responsibility for finance. He is also a trustee and chair of finance and resources committee at The Ted Wragg Trust, a multi academy trust comprising 12 secondary, 3 primary and two all through schools and chairs Fusion School Services, their trading subsidiary company. He is a member of Exeter Diocesan Board of Education Committee.

Alex says of his governance role “Involvement in school and trust governance at whatever level is a great way of building skills and making local contacts at the same time as supporting your local community. I would recommend it to anyone who is keen on supporting their local school and sharing their skills and experience with like-minded colleagues.”

Alex Walmsley represents secondary academies at the Devon Education Forum (DEF) and DAG at Devon Schools Finance Group. He is also the elected vice-chair of DEF.

Alex says of his DAG role “There are lots of challenges in education right now, including around Special Educational Needs (SEND), attendance and school finance. DAG works tirelessly to help governors better support their local schools and alongside our headteacher colleagues in Devon Education Forum we support and hold to account our local authority in meeting these challenges. We are always pleased to welcome colleagues to join us at DAG and DEF and I would encourage any interested governors to contact us at DAG about this. Together we can really make a difference.”

Alex has experience of a wide range of governance structures, including both maintained and academy schools and particular experience in school financial management and MAT governance. His wide ranging experience as both chair and non-executive director in commerce and education enables him to take a strategic view of the challenges facing trusts, schools and governors. He was awarded an MBE in 2024 for services to Education.

Outside of school governance, Alex is a retired chartered accountant and economics graduate and was for many years managing partner of a Devon accountancy practice. He is an experienced non-executive director and business advisor.

Would you like to become part of the DAG Board or join the Devon Education Forum and support all those in governance across Devon?  If you are interested, please get in touch via [email protected].